Conduit.



w. HOUGHTON.

GONDUIT. APPLIOATiON FILED MAR, 3, 1908.

903,572. Patented Nov. 10, 1908.

i f1 i 5 WITNESSES: 1 INVENTOR. MAW MV/ard fiZqyfi/wz THE Name's FETERSco., wAsmucnm, 0. c,

WILLARD HOUGI-ITON, OF SEATTLE, WASHINGTON.

COND'UIT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 10, 1908.

Application filed March 3, 1908fieria1 No. 418,937.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, IVILLARD HoUeH'roN, a citizen of the United States,residing at Seattle, in the county of King and State of lVashington,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Conduits, of whichthe following is a specification, reference being had therein to theaccompanying drawings.

This invention relates to conduits, and more especially to improvementsin the device of this character which is illustrated and described inUnited States Patent No. 697,485, issued to me April 15, 1902.

The object of the improvement is to simplify its construction and renderthe same more generally useful.

The present invention consists in the construction of a conduit of auniform depth throughout its length and the employmentof a gutter-liketrough wherethrough even a small stream of water will serve to scour outa channel and obviate all danger of the conduit becoming inoperativethrough cloggmg.

In the drawings, illustrating an embodiment of the invention, Figure 1is a plan view; Fig. 2 is a central longitudinal sec tion; and Fig. 3 isa cross sectional view taken through 3-3 of Figs. 1 and 2, but

shown embedded in the ground. Fig. 4 is an end view of a modified formadapted to be constructed of forest timber at places where sawedmaterial is unavailable.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 3, the reference numeral 5 designates thebottom member of the improved conduit shown as rectangular in crosssection. In the bottom of this member and extending its entire length isa longitudinal groove 6, which is disposed so as to be at or about themid-width of the member. Seated upon said bottom are inwardly inclinedsides 7 which are faced at 8 so that they will have meeting faces tomutually bear the lateral pressure necessary to sustain each other.Between said faces the adjacent portions of the sides are cut away toafford slots 9 wherethrough drainage water is admitted interiorly of theconduit. The opposite edges 10 and 11 of the sides are formed inparallel planes and are respectively disposed to furnish seats to bearagainst said bottom and also top surfaces which should be on the sameplane, or nearly so, with the road surface whereinstalled.

In Fig 4 is shown a conduit comprised of a bottom and two side members 5and 7, respectively, which are made by splitting undressed timber, andunder such conditions the slots 9 are most conveniently formed byspreading the same at the top by inserted blocks 12. The bottom memberis, in this modified form, also provided with a groove 6 which is formedin the top flat face 5 thereof, and the top faces 10 of the sides arethen made to be in a plane parallel with such fiat face. Under both ofthe above constructions the Various parts are rigidly secured togetherby spikes.

I The advantages of this invention reside in the employment of timbersor planking of equal width throughout their lengths, thus requiring lesswork in fitting and assembling the parts than where the same are madetapering, as required in the patented invention above referred to.Furthermore, I find that the sloping bottom in a conduit is not essential and, as a matter of fact, is detrimental, for should the roadsurface be level, transversely, as is seldom the case, the proper slopeto secure a flow of entrained water may be had by arranging the conduitsdiagonally in the road-bed. The gutter 6 or 6, as the case may be, is adecided advantage, inasmuch as it provides what might be deemed asupplementary conduit, through which small quantities of water find aready egress, which if spread over the entire exposed surface of thebottom would be insufficient to carry away dirt, sand or gravel whichwould enter the conduit through the slots.

Having described my invention, what I claim, is

1. A conduit made trough shaped with inclined sides, and a bottomarranged to be parallel with the top edges of said sides, said sidesmeeting at various places along their respective lengths.

2. The herein described conduit, comprised of a bottom, inclined sides,said bottom being disposed so as to be parallel with a plane extendedthrough the top of said along the tops thereof, substantially as andsides, and said sides being formed to profor the purposes described. 10Vide intermediate slots. In testimony whereof I affix my signature 8. Ina conduit of the class described, the in presence of two Witnesses.combination with the bottom meniber pro- VILLARD HOUGI-ITON. vided witha longitudinal groove in its top, \Vitnesses: of inclined sides, saidsides being provided PIERRE BARNES,

with slots between their meeting edges and J. HENRY DENNING.

